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I can't boot Visopsys!

Posted: Tue Jan 25, 2011 8:02 pm
by espectalll123
Hello. I got a very important problem. I am a new user of Visopsys. So, I installed Visopsys 0.7 Preview and I found an error: the hard disk doesn't boot! After, I installed version 0.6 (deleting version 0.7) and doesn't boot again! What's the matter? :evil: P.S.: I use VirtualBox.

Re: I can't boot Visiopsys!

Posted: Wed Jan 26, 2011 4:35 pm
by andymc
Hello,

I only began testing the OS with VirtualBox a little while ago, but I do remember it working (more or less anyway). Sometimes it can be trickier to get VMs working than with real machines. VirtualPC is a particular PITA. :angry-tappingfoot:

I tried a quick test of running it again last night, but it hangs after hardware detection. :confusion-scratchheadblue:

I'm getting ready to do a release any day now so I'll try to figure out this problem before I release. Alright if I ask you to test it for me on your system when it's ready?

Thanks!

Posted: Wed Jan 26, 2011 7:16 pm
by espectalll123
Great! I think Visopsys is a great alternative OS, but if only works as Live CD...

Re: Re: I can't boot Visopsys!

Posted: Thu Jan 27, 2011 6:26 pm
by espectalll123
I looked that you said that if i test your future releases of Visopsys. I aceppt. I got an iMac 21'5'' and an old PC from 1999 (it got 256 MB of RAM, very powerful for its time). So, I can test all beta releases you make, OK? :-D

Re: I can't boot Visopsys!

Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2011 12:52 am
by andymc
Sounds great.

I've been debugging on VirtualBox (Windows Vista host and Linux CentOS 5.3 host) and it looks like serious problems.

The reason Visopsys doesn't work in VirtualPC (from Microsoft) is that they haven't really bothered to implement the x86 chip's hardware task switching mechanism (for multitasking) because most of the major OSes don't use it.

It looks to me as if VirtualBox is the same.

Many OSes implement their own software version of task switching, and it looks like that's something I'm going to have to do, as well. It's supposed to result in better performance, but I've resisted doing it until now because a) my multitasker works well on real hardware, and in VMware; and b) it's probably going to be a lot of work. Visopsys' multitasker has been stable for years, so I'm not that keen to mess with it.

Still, it's on my to-do list, perhaps for the next (0.71) release. It won't be in 0.7.

Re: I can't boot Visopsys!

Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2011 2:41 pm
by espectalll123
OK! But the error happend in real hardware... after install Visopsys and MBR in a 1999 PC, the boot crashes again! :-( So...

Re: I can't boot Visopsys!

Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2011 3:08 pm
by andymc
I suspect that they're different problems on your old PC and VirtualBox. :doh:

I'm not sure what I can do to debug the problem on your old PC though, without getting access to it! PCs that old are so rare nowadays. I have a Dell that's from perhaps 2002 :geek:, but the OS works on that one (at least last time I tested it).

Re: I can't boot Visopsys!

Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2011 1:29 pm
by espectalll123
Look at this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoGVNCnCiew. You will understand the problem.

Re: I can't boot Visopsys!

Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2011 3:39 pm
by admin
Cool video :clap:

I understand now, I think. When you ran the installer, I think it probably installed as FAT32 - it chooses automatically based on the size of the partition - and there is a bug in booting that version of Visopsys, when installed on a FAT32 filesystem. If you try choosing the filesystem type using the checkbox, try FAT16 (you might have to make the partition smaller than it is, for that to work).

The version that I'm about to release has got a fix for that bug.

Re: I can't boot Visopsys! (Bombs of videos!!!)

Posted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 10:36 am
by espectalll123
Made a video with the problem repaired! :banana-linedance: It's a tutorial for safe install, making a 512 MB FAT16 partition for the OS and the rest for a FAT32 partitions for save the files. Now Visopsys works greatly (coexisting with its multiple bugs) from the virtual hard disk! Now I need to try it with my old PC...

I recommend you to translate with Google or Babelfish the notes I put in it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yYPItgB4Yk